Change.
Change is strange.
Climate change, social change, spare change
do you dare change
the way you think
the way you live
the power you give
to the man in the suit and tie
who tells you what to buy
and when to cry
and how to die?
A little change goes a long way.
Sometimes a dollar or two
can mean the difference between
feasting
on a hot, greasy, saucy
slice of pizza
or gnawing
on the bleached, brittle, broken
bones of hunger.
And sometimes a degree or two
can mean the difference between
the rhythmic turning
from cool rain to Summer swelter
fiery leaves to frozen branches
and the sudden skipping
from cracked dirt to flooded mud
still wind to twisting tornadoes
noon frost to sweaty midnight
convulsing and contorting
and cavorting through the land
and water and air
shredding cities and forests
mountains and valleys
even the oceans
like some dancing diva of death and destruction
until all the world
lies smoldering and simmering
at her shimmering feet.
This is the future
a future already in progress
as we step on the gas
and add fuel to the fire
of a funeral pyre
that’s already
licking at our feet.
For year after year
I raised my voice
and took my stand.
For year after year
we studied the climate
with orbiting satellites
and a global network of supercomputers.
For year after year
we drew countless charts and graphs
shouted countless slogans
signed countless petitions
and marched everywhere
from the cobblestone of Main Street
to the marble halls
of every capitol building in the world.
But the future refused to change.
The future refused to change.
The future refused to change.
And the future is now.
The climate is changing
the dancer is dancing
slashing the world
with insatiable wildfires
and torrential downpours
and feverish spasms
from seething summer sweat
to biting winter frost.
And still
our foot is on the gas pedal
and still
the pistons are pumping
and now
the only change
left in our hands
is the power to change
how many people
we run over
while we crash and burn.
So how about it?
Are you ready for change?